


Night Reading

by MerryDreaming



Series: Under the Myriad, a Place is Earned (Fire Emblem Heroes) [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Drabble, Gen, genealogy spoilers, gratuitous mother/son bonding, magic and mythology oh my, some talk of the other games but nothing too important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 17:30:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerryDreaming/pseuds/MerryDreaming
Summary: Seliph has had insomnia for as long as he could remember. It's had a habit of getting him scolded, more often than not, but he happens upon a fellow insomniac on his usual route.





	Night Reading

Sleep has never come easy for Seliph. That's a fact as obvious as the sky is blue; for as long as he has remembered, his overly active brain has kept him up for hours on end, only granting him reprieve when his body was finally too exhausted to resist the call of sleep. Tonight isn't any different, truthfully. Toss and turn as he might, Seliph finds his mind running at speeds a horse would have trouble keeping up with. The eternal paranoia of both wars, both at home and in Askr. Soldiers lying in wait, traps waiting to come for him in the castles, the slightest noises being enough to set his anxiety off--

Seliph rises from his bed all too easily, and exits his quarters quietly.

It's so quiet, this late at night. Just about everyone else was asleep at this time; most being able to will themselves into it, or simply sleep soundly without issue. The only ones who were likely out this late were the night watchers. They had a job to keep out anything that could pose a threat to them, but it did nothing to quell what ate at him. He could only keep walking through the halls, using what little light there was from the windows to guide him along. Perhaps he could go to the library. Seliph has poured over many of the texts that Askr managed to acquire, but maybe something a little more dreamy could help ease him to sleep. That's what he tells himself, at least.

What he isn't expecting is light to already be coming from the library. It causes him to pause.

"Who could possibly be out at this hour...?"

His tone is soft when he opens the door, and he sees the culprit sitting at one of the many tables that the library has provided. Even from behind, that mess of long, white, curly hair was too distinct to belong to anyone else.

Thankfully, perhaps, Deirdre is quick to turn to the source of that noise. She's a little startled at first, but her look shifts to a smile. "Oh, Seliph...what are you doing out this late?"

He's so thankful that they already went through the song and dance of explaining their memories. Despite everything, Seliph seems to ease into a smile. "Forgive me, Mother, I didn't mean to startle you. I am simply having some trouble sleeping."

"Don't worry about it." Deirdre's tone is warm when she responds, with the slightest tinge of sympathy. "That's why I came here as well. I like to catch up on my reading, on nights like these."

"You never struck me as the sort to be plagued by this, Mother..." Maybe he shouldn't be so surprised, though, after everything that happened. "Might I sit with you, then? I was looking for something to distract myself with."

"You say that as though I could say no to you." To punctuate that, Deirdre giggles just a bit and she gestures to the chair next to her. "Sit with me, then. I don't know if what I am reading will be of interest to you, but..."

"Nonsense, Mother. I have been curious as to what you've been occupying yourself with in this place." Seliph takes the seat easily as he looks over the books--in truth, he expected his mother's tastes to be in fiction and romance novels, but what he sees are many books on the practice of magic. His eyes widen as he looks to some of the titles--some are native to Askr, but there are some that seem to be from Valentia, from what little he has studied. Some of Archenea, and...

"Mother, where did you find this one?" Seliph pulls out a book with a name he doesn't recognize. The name seems odd-- _The Scouring_ hasn't come up in any of Seliph's readings, nor has _Aureola_. When his mother pries her eyes from her current book of interest, she's quick to nod her head.

"That is a book about one of the legendary weapons of Elibe." Deirdre's eyes seem to light up when she says that, a smile finding it's way onto her face. "It was one of the many weapons used in The Scouring--a war between humans and dragons, fought long ago. Aureola was a tome of light magic wielded by Saint Elimine. It is said to be the most powerful tome of it's make, and it's power called upon the light of the heavens to strike down one's foes..."

"...Goodness, Mother. I had no idea you held such a fervent interest in magic." Hearing her talk so knowledgeably about it is certainly a surprise, but a welcome one.

"I don't remember why, but...I think I simply had nothing better to do, in the place I lived." Deirdre seems confused about that for a moment before shaking her head, shaking off the feelings. "Magic is everything, in a sense. Learning of the magic of different continents has only made me hungrier for knowledge."

Seliph nods his head and picks up the book for himself. "Have you gone through all of these books yet, Mother?"

"Oh, not at all. I intend to read all of these...that was one of the few I finished before you arrived."

Seliph opens the book to read, quietly--it's when he feels his mother's eyes on him that he peers over with a bit of confusion.

"Mother, is something the matter?"

"...Could you lean your head forward a bit, toward the light?"

Seliph gives her a bit of a confused glance, but does as he's told. "If this will truly help..."

He's left staring at the ground for a few moments, though the small reaction from his mother seems to solidify that she's found what's wrong. He feels her hand attempting to press something down on his head for a moment, before hearing a frustrated noise escape her. That's not helping matters any, but before he can make a comment on it, he feels her hand come down--wet, this time.

" _Mother_!" It's a bit indignant, but Seliph shoots up with a bit of a pout on his usually dignified face. What he receives is a surprisingly undignified pout from his mother as well.

"Seliph, you had a giant cowlick sticking up. It was driving me crazy to see it."

"Yes, but--you could have let me know!"

"I'm your mother. I should at least be able to fix your hair a bit..."

Seliph could make a comment about his mother's own freeflowing hair, but he refrained. Really, he had to admit it was kind of nice to be coddled. "...Forgive me, Mother. I hope I did not offend."

"...No, you do have a point." Deirdre's gaze seemed to avert from her son's, expression downcast. "You're an adult now. I shouldn't be so pushy toward you..."

Seliph shakes his head, quickly. "On the contrary, Mother, I truly do not mind. It's not as if we had a lot of time to do so at home."

Deirdre's eyes went a little softer at that, as she ran a finger through the loose strands of her son's hair. "It's a shame that only insomnia seems to have brought us together."

"Worry not, Mother. I would love to make more time to read with you."

"You can find me here, when I am not on the field. It would bring me great joy, truthfully..."

"Of course." Seliph's smile grows, bit by bit. He'd really love nothing more than to make up for old time, while there is the chance. They quietly go back to reading for a little while, before Seliph's glance goes over to the other books. "Ah, Mother? There is something I'm curious about..."

"Oh, what is it?" Deirdre's look goes over to Seliph when he speaks up, tilting her head.

"These books..." Seliph picks one up, making sure the cover goes into the light. "These are of Valentian origin, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. Valentian magic is different from the magic of most continents." Deirdre's tone takes on a bit of a contemplative one, and she closes her current book. "Their magic is far more formidable, due to the life force they fuse with each cast. They are able to extend their range rather effectively, and deliver punishing blows..."

"Life force?" That's the point that Seliph gets stuck on, looking genuinely stunned.

"Yes. The mages of Valentia put their lives on the line with each casting of magic...the clerics do as well. All of their magic comes at a cost, but it makes them far more effective in a fight."

"That...truly, that seems like a frightening prospect, Mother." He kind of hoped that she wasn't looking into anything like that.

"Frightening when used by someone reckless, perhaps. But it is intriguing, to learn of different origins of magic..."

She really wasn't lying about a constant thirst for knowledge, it seemed. Seliph paused for a moment, his gaze averting before coming back up. "Please be careful, Mother."

Deirdre seemed to jolt at that, turning to face her son with her mouth agape. It took a few seconds to will down her reaction, but...she managed a smile. "I have a son I wish to make up for lost time with. Please...believe in me. I won't let something happen to me. Not now...and not ever."

Seliph's warm, relieved smile lit up the room, as he nodded his head. "Thank you. I look forward to it."

The two read well into the morning--by the time any of the night watch had come back into the library, they had both fallen asleep at the table with the candle blown out. None had the heart to wake either up, or separate them.


End file.
